Germany Shuts Down Last Three Nuclear Power Stations, Increases Coal Burning


So, I thought the whole thing was that the carbon was changing the weather…but… it’s…

You know.

I don’t care.

I just hope all these people die.

The Guardian:

Germany’s three remaining nuclear power stations will shut down on Saturday, 12 years after the Fukushima disaster in Japan accelerated the country’s exit from atomic energy.

The closures mark the conclusion of a stop-start approach to atomic energy and a victory for the country’s vociferous anti-nuclear movement.

The facilities shutting are in Emsland, in the northern state of Lower Saxony, the Isar 2 site in Bavaria, and Neckarwestheim, in Baden-Württemberg in the south-west.

The shutdowns leave a conundrum for energy policymakers attempting to balance growing electricity demand in one of Europe’s industrial superpowers and efforts to decarbonise, against the backdrop of uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine.

Germany last year delayed the closure of the three sites – which provided about 6.5% of the country’s electricity in 2022 – after Russia reduced European gas supplies, triggering concerns about a shortage of energy over the winter.

The final shutdowns have raised questions about security of energy supplies and the outlook for Germany’s carbon emissions. The country plans to close all coal-fired power plants by 2038, with the first round of closures planned in 2030.

However, its parliament approved emergency legislation to reopen mothballed coal-fired power plants to aid electricity generation last year. A push to build more terminals to import liquefied natural gas has also been accelerated since the Ukraine war began.

Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the UK’s Nuclear Industry Association, said the phaseout would worsen carbon emissions and “for a country supposedly renowned for its logical and evidence-driven approach is environmentally damaging, economically illiterate and deeply irresponsible”.

He added: “At a time of heightened concern about energy security, Germany will be abandoning assets that can displace 34bn cubic metres of gas a year.”

Too dumb!

Too dumb!

They should die!